Into the Woods

MONTPELIER STATION — Sunday’s winter walk through the James Madison Landmark Forest rejuvenated and educated with long-time horticulturist Sandy Mudrinich leading the way.

A Montpelier staffer since 1985 when she came as an intern from Virginia Tech, Mudrinich spoke with enthusiasm and seasoned knowledge about the 200-acre old-growth forest nestled behind the newly restored mansion of the fourth president.Her two-hour, mile-and-a-half walk talk through the “Big Woods” on a chilly January day was heavy on scientific plant jargon and widespread appreciation for the great outdoors.

The guided tour provided a prime, once-a-year opportunity to absorb the stark beauty of the naked tree silhouettes. And these are some big and impressive trees! The oldest are 250-years-old, ranging in size up to 60 inches in diameter.

Several dozen young and old walkers — and one dog — participated in Sunday’s winding hike through an enchanted area designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1987.

“The 200 acres we will see are as close to anything Madison would have seen,” Mudrinich said from the Landmark Forest trailhead, located next to an old barn used by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation for horses that once ran at Montpelier’s famed Hunt Races. “Let me introduce the forest to you.”

Through the years and various Montpelier owners, farming and grazing, she said, including during Madison’s time, disturbed much of the old growth forest.And yet, many native plant species still thrive here like Tulip, Chestnut and Oak trees.The Tulip Tree, so named for its tulip-like spring blooms, is the tallest and most common tree in the forest, Mudrinich said.

“It grows straight and tall,” she said, holding out the dried up remnants of a brown tulip tree flower. The tree’s wood is also among the softest in North America, Mudrinich added, and for that reason, was commonly used by Native Americans for making canoes.

Leading walkers down the leaf-covered trail to a White Oak, a slow-growing tree, the horticulturist waxed poetic.

“He is the old man of the woods,” Mudrinich said, “because look at the bark. It looks like an old guy that hasn’t shaved in a while,” she said, also describing the White Oak as a “hermit.”

The American Ironwood, on the other hand, is one of the Landmark Forest’s “most understated” trees, Mudrinich said, and its wood is also one of the strongest, once used to craft wagon axels.

With Bear the 14-year-old Golden Lab leading his owner and the rest of the walkers, Mudrinich moved onto to the unique White Ash Tree, which she said is in the olive family. Its wood is light but strong, she added, used to make Louisville Sluggers.

So many tree species thrive in the Big Woods largely because of the rich, red soil beneath them, Mudrinich said, calling the stuff, “God’s gift to plants.” Meanwhile, the smaller Pawpaw Tree contains medicinal properties and is great for basket making.

There are no giant Redwoods or Sequoias in the James Madison Landmark Forest, Mudrinich went on, noting that the trees are not known for their thickness.

“All their energy is straight up,” she said of the trees competing for a piece of sky and the sun. “Their height is remarkable.”

Near the end of the hike, Mudrinich highlighted another old White Oak, remarking, “This is as big as you’re going to see.”

However, not all plant species in the Big Woods are welcome, or native. The Montpelier horticulturist spent a good 30 minutes at the beginning of the walk talking about these “invasives” — exotic plants that stifle, for a variety of reasons, the growth of native plants. Such species present here include the garlic mustard, an herb that attracts and yet is bad for a particular white butterfly.

Periwinkle from England competes with the beauty of spring wildflowers, Mudrinich said, and the “really bad one” is the Chinese Wisteria vine, which wraps around trees, stunting their growth. When she started at Montpelier 20-plus years ago, wisteria covered 10 acres in the old growth forest, but due to the efforts of plant experts like Mudrinich the choking vine has been severely diminished.

“Our aim is to make the woods come back to its natural state,” she said.

Naturally, Montpelier offers guided walks in the James Madison Landmark Forest in each of the four seasons.

Bob Ritz of Culpeper, a walker on Sunday’s tour, said he would highly recommended the informative jaunt into the woods.

“The highlight is the personnel here and the broad knowledge base,” said Ritz, who attended the walk with his sister Heidi, his daughter and two school-age grandsons. “They have so much knowledge to share.”

Added Heidi, “And it’s not just for kids.”

Self-guided tours through the Big Woods are available year-round with standard admission to Montpelier.